cummings



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. L. CUMMINGS. PNEUMATIC CARPET GLEANING APPARATUS.

No. 460,935. Patented 0011.6, 1891.

I ll

(No Model.) 2 Sheets- -Sheet :3. G. L. CUMMINGS.

PNEUMATIC CARPET CLEANING APPARATUS.

No. 460,935. Patented Oct. 6, 1891.

' lNVENTIElR:

WITNESSES"; 3

. a; amt- THE Mom's ruins ca, PMOTO-utno.,'wnsnlac'rnn, u. c

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

GEORGE L. CUMMINGS, OF NE YORK, N. Y.

PNEUMATIC CARPET-CLEANING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 460,935, dated October 6, 1891.

Application filed September 8, 1888. Renewed March 11. 1891. Serial No. 384,528. (No model.)

10 aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE L. CUMMINGS, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Carpet-Cleaning Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to-Inake and use the same.

My invention consists of a pneumatic sucker adapted to rest on the carpet either directly or by casters for lessening the friction and to be moved about over the same, and exhaust apparatus connected therewith, which, by drawin the air under the edges of the sucker resting on or slightly above the surface of the carpet and also through the carpet-web under the sucker, raises and conducts away the dirt and practically cleans the carpet where it lies and avoids removingit, thereby largely economizing the cost of cleaning carpets, all as hereinafter fully described, reference be ing made to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of part of a house with my improved carpet-cleaning apparatus in working position. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the sucker on line a: 00 of Fig. 4 and on an enlarged scale. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken on line y y of Fig. 4. Fig. l is a plan view of the sucker inverted. Fig. 5 is a side elevation, and Fig. 6 a sectional elevation, representing the rim of the sucker-hood resting directly on the carpet without rollers.

I provide a sucker consisting of a hood a, of Wood, metal, or other approved material, having a flexible exhaust-pipe I) connected with it and preferably attached to the truck 0, mounted on casters (1; but it may rest by the rim or edges of its open side directly on the carpet c, and is provided with a handle f, by which to shift it about over the carpet, which handle consists of a tube and forms the means of connecting the flexible exhausttube 1). Besides connecting with the hood the handle connects also with the truck at thebend g of the handle for better control of the machine; but this may be varied at will. If mounted on the truck, it is important that the said edges or rim of the open side of the hood lie either in contact with or in very close proximity to the carpet, so that forcible draft of air is produced in the web of the car'- pet and through the same from below to raise and carry off the dirt by the effect of the suction alone, so as to effectually clean the carpet without the trouble and expense of taking it up and relaying it.

For producing the suction I employ a powerful fan-blower 7L, which may in the case of hotels and other large buildings in which steam-power is employed for various purposes be permanently located in the building and be suit-ably connected with the said power apparatus for being operated when required, but for general purposes will preferably be mounted 011 a portable truck 1', together with suitable steam or other power apparatus j for driving it, and a water-tank it for receiving the dirt from the fan, for readily moving the apparatus from house to house.

The flexible hose 1) of the exhaust may of course extend directly from the sucker to the fan,whether so permanently located in the building or in a portable machine; butl propose to use an intermediate stand pipe Z, either permanently arranged in the building for the purpose or adapted for being temporarily set up in front of the house 'm. and having a branch at to each floor, reaching in through the window 0 or a door orother opening for the connection of pipe I), and also having the suction 1), preferably of flexible construction, detachably connecting it with the fan. The branches n have a stop-valve 1) to close those not in use, and the standpipe has telescopic joints q to enable it to be extended or shortened for stories of different heights, and over each joint I have a rubber bandq, so fitted and stretched that it contracts tightly on both sections and makes a tight packing to prevent the air from sucking in at the joints. The sucker may thus be used throughout the different parts of the house.

The sucker-h ood has a fender-strip S, of rubber or other elastic material, extending around its exterier for a guard to protect the base-boards and articles of furniture from damage to which they would otherwise be subject by striking against them when he IOO it to work closely into the corners of the room. The hood may have the caster-rollers connected directly to it, so as not to employ the extra truck; but the latter is the preferable arrangement; and the truck or the hood itself may be arranged to slide over the carpet without rollers, as I have represented it in Fig. 5, wherein I have also represented the hood without guard-rims, as it may be used. lVhen the hood is arranged for so sliding on the rim or edges of the open mouth, the said rim or edge will be broadened somewhat, so as not to be forced into the web of the carpet too much by the effect of atmospheric pressure without and the partial vacuum within, which may result in such case; butit is probable that even with the powerful suction that it is intended to employ no considerable vacuum will be produced, as the air will find its way through the carpet in c011- siderable volume when the hood so rests on the carpet.

I am aware that a carpet-sweeper has been used consisting of a broom covered to within a short distance of the end of the brush by a hood and having an exhaust through the handle, so that some of the dust brushed up by sweeping with the broom in the ordinary manner will be carried away through the exhaust,

and I desire it to be understood that the essential feature of my invention differs from this in that it is a sucker-hood having no broom and not being adapted for sweeping,v

but having positive support slightly above or in such contact with the carpet while moving about thereon that the draft of air set in motion by the suction is so forcibly impelled.

1. The improvement in pneumatic carpetcleaning apparatus, consisting of the suckerhood, exhaust-pipe,'and the power-driven fan connected with said pipe, in combination, said hood having support on and slightly above,

but in close proximity to or contact with, the carpet, causing the forcible effect of the draft over and through the carpet under the rim of the hood, which thereby and solely removes the impurities from the carpet, substantially as described.

2. The combination, in a pneumatic sucker for a carpet-cleaner, of the sucker-hood, the carrying-truck having the hood vertically adjustable on it, the tubular truck-handle, and the flexible exhaust-pipe connected with the hood, substantially as described.

3. The combination, in pneumatic carpetcleaning apparatus, of the sucker-hood having positive support on or slightly above the carpet and being movable thereon, the standpipe having branch connections for different floors or parts of abnilding, the flexible exhaust-pipe connecting with the sucker-hood and being detachably connectible with the respective branches of the stand-pipe, the suction-fan connected with saidstand-pipe, and motive-power apparatus connected with and operating the fan, substantially as de scribed.

4. The combination, in pneumatic carpetcleaning apparatus, of the sucker-hood having positive support on or slightly above the carpet and being movable thereon, the telescopic extensible portable stand-pipe having branch connections for the different floors or parts of the house, the flexible exhaust-pipe connected with the sucker-hood and being detachably connectible with the respective 

